Growing Bolder Community

The following is the slide show that I made of our camping trip to Oak Creek on Mother's Day Weekend. We had a great time and getting outside was good for all of us. If you ever get a chance to go to Oak Creek Canyon near Sedona, Arizona just go. It is so beautiful there. The fragrance in the air combines pine and oak and the warm breezes sweep through the canyon giving it a sense of aromatherapy...

At 91, Gordon Maham spends just about every waking moment working for causes that are dear to him. “I’ve fought a lot of battles,” he says, “and I’ve walked across plenty of lines to end wars and stop bombs.” His stance against violence landed him three years in the Ashland Federal Penitentiary during World War II for not registering for the draft. He has spent the ensuing...

Do you remember the song "Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Old Oak Tree" made famous by Tony Orlando in the early '70? I have been singing it since we went to see Tony Orlando at the Welk Theater in Branson, MO. Tony and the Lennon Sisters are performing together in a delightful, fast-paced Christmas show. This show is a perfect blend of Christmas music and their old favorite hits. More on my...

Three of Casey's motions were ruled on yesterday by Chief Judge Belvin Perry, Jr. and those decisions will not help her defense team one bit. At the June 1 hearing, Casey Anthony's attorneys argued to keep her jail visitation logs secret because they didn't want the State to know who and what experts were consulting with her at the county facility. It sounded like a reasonable request, but the...

Mother's Day Weekend – May 9,10,11 – Matt, Lesli, Solomon, his friend Daniel, Daniel and myself went to Oak Creek Canyon to go camping. Daniel and I got there ahead and found a place at Pine Flat, the first campground you come to going toward Sedona. The others were packed out. We got our campsite up before dark. Matt brought two extra tents that he found while working and gave us one of them...

I want to share with you a little something that may be of interest to anyone who is into weather, such as storm chasing and the like. On my most recent trip back home to Illinois (my home state), I stopped in Belvidere, which is about 65 miles northwest of Chicago, and I purchased a book entitled "The Belvidere Tornado, April 21, 1967, A 40th Anniversary Perspective". For starters, the title is...

What? Isn’t that from the Star Trek movies? Yes…..the Jedi Knights somehow were able to draw great powers from their surrounding environment and universe, instilling them with super-human strength and some type of mental, metal bending powers. That reminds me… I had an uncle who thought he was indestructible and could read minds, but his powers were concentrated in an oak barrel and wore...

It's the regular suspects at the Thursday Tasting Group, and we're tasting Merlots. We know the rap...Merlot has become a bad word in the wine business. A novice entry level wine. Over-produced. Wimpy. Red Wine for girls. The Apple-tini of the Napa Valley set. These have become fables now. Sometimes legend. When one of my favorite actors, Paul Giamatti, trashes the wine in the movie 'Sideways',...